The Legend of Jaune
by The Flippant Writer
Summary: The Prophecy is nigh. As Darkness threatens to swallow the lands, one boy must follow his destiny in order to stop it. The story of Jaune and his journey to save the world begins.
1. First Heart: A Klutz's Destiny

x

The Legend of Jaune

First Heart

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda or RWBY. They are the intellectual properties of Nintendo and RoosterTeeth, respectively.

* * *

_Dark clouds._

_Pouring rain._

_An endless field._

_A stone wall._

_A moat._

_A bridge._

_Where is he? What is this place?_

_Lightning flashes._

_Two horses fly past him. A figure in black following a flash of red._

_There's something behind him. He spins around. Terror fills his being at the sight._

_A black stallion. Bigger than a bear. A woman in red. Her eyes are alight with cruel amusement._

_This woman is evil. Who is she? What does she want?_

_Suddenly, it doesn't matter. She can't have it. He won't let her._

_Cruel laughter._

_A flash of fire._

_Darkness._

* * *

Deep in the Kokiri Forest sat a tree. Not just any tree. _The_ Tree. The Great Deku Tree; guardian of the forest and its inhabitants. It had sat on that very spot since the dawn of life. Its wisdom was boundless and its patience was infinite. Now, though...the time for patience has passed. The time for action has arrived.

The Tree spoke. Its voice, aged with time but strong with authority, suffused the air. Its words were measured and powerful. All denizens of its environment paused in their activities to hear the words of their Father.

"**Ruby...Ruby, where art thou?**"

Immediately, a small light shot forth from the forest and floated in front of the wise Tree. Bearing four wings and an ever-present glow, Ruby differed from her fairy brethren only by the color of her light, which was a striking red. She waited eagerly to hear the words of the Forest Father.

"**Ruby...,**" the Great Deku Tree said, "**The time hast come...the Boy of Prophecy...his destiny is nigh...can I entrust a task to thee, Ruby...?**"

The young fairy in front of him nodded eagerly. "I won't let you down, Deku Tree!"

Though many fairies and forest spirits balked at the idea of referring to their Father as anything but 'Father', the Great Deku Tree only chuckled warmly.

"**I know thy won't, Ruby the Fairy...now be off...seek out the Kokiri named Jaune...bring the boy to me...there is much to speak about...and little time to do so...**"

The petite fairy saluted the wise, old Tree and then flew off into the forest. She weaved in and out of trees before arriving in a cozy village nestled in the forest. All around, there were young men and women walking around, working, talking, and even just having fun. There was not one child and not one full-fledged adult among the lot of them. It was a common sight, though, and did not even register in Ruby's mind.

She flew through the village, seeking the one the Great Deku Tree had mentioned. He did not need to say what he looked like. The boy stood out like a beacon among the forest folk. For what reason, she did not know. It just made her search easier.

Ruby arrived in the house of the one she sought. The young man, seventeen years of age, was lying in bed, in a deep sleep. His white trousers and green tunic were wrinkled from sleeping in them. His rest, however, seemed fitful. His face was contorted in fear and grief, and his limbs twitched as though he were attempting to fight off a malevolent force. It seemed she had happened upon him at just the right time.

The fairy flew over the young man and spoke, "Jaune...Jaune, wake up!"

The boy's trembling died down and his face gently eased into a peaceful state at the sound of her voice. He remained asleep, however. Ruby huffed at his sleeping form. Could the fate of the world really lie upon the shoulders of such a lazy boy? "Jaune, it's time to wake up!"

Jaune groaned in his sleep and he adjusted his position. He still remained dead to the world. Ruby, becoming slightly irritated at his refusal to wake up, flew down right next to his ear. She took in a deep breath and then shouted with all the force she could possibly muster.

"WAKE UP!"

"W-WHA-WHOAH!"

The tiny scream seemed to do the trick, as Jaune jerked awake and flailed about in panic. Ruby flew up higher to escape his swinging arms and watched in amusement as he knocked himself off of the bed. The boy groaned in pain and slowly lifted himself back up to sit on his bed. A quiet giggling caught his attention and the boy craned his head to look at the bright, red light that hung above him. He blinked several times before seeming to comprehend what it was.

"A...a fairy...?" he asked tentatively.

Ruby flew down in front of his face and nodded happily. Her features were more clear close up. She had a petite figure, wore an odd-looking black and red dress, and topped it all off with short, raven hair. "Yup! My name's Ruby, and the Great Deku Tree sent me to get you! He says he wants to talk to you!"

Jaune shook his head furiously and then looked back at Ruby in shock, "The- The Great Deku Tree?! He wants to talk to _me_?!"

The fairy nodded in the affirmative and said, "That's right! So we better get going!"

The blond Kokiri boy stood up and rubbed his blue eyes to remove the last vestiges of sleepiness. He walked out of the door of his home, which was situated atop a small tree, and onto the balcony. He made his way down the ladder, and just as he turned around he was caught by surprise for a second time that morning.

"Heads up!"

A banana smacked Jaune in the center of the face, sending him onto his rear end. The same voice spoke up, only closer this time, "Oh man, sorry, Jaune. Thought you would catch it."

Jaune looked up and was met with the form of the 'alpha' among the Kokiri, Sun. Tall, handsome, muscular, and charming; he was a paragon of Kokiri men. While Jaune, with a slightly shorter stature, scrawny frame, and awkward dispostion, was the epitome of what Kokiri men tried not to be. The only thing either of them had in common was their wild blonde hair, bright, blue eyes, and-

A hand of assistance was offered to Jaune by a grinning Sun. Jaune couldn't help but grin back.

-their friendship.

Sun heaved Jaune up with no trouble and patted him on the shoulder. "You've gotta react faster than that, man," he said jokingly.

The smaller blonde scratched the back of his neck sheepishly and chuckled but said nothing in response. Sun then noticed the red light that rested on Jaune's shoulder.

"Whoa, did you finally get your fairy, Jaune?"

"Wha- ? Oh, yeah! I did! Her name's Ruby!"

Ruby waved happily at Sun. "Hello!"

Sun smiled at her and offered a wave in return before addressing Jaune again. "Congratulations, Jaune! Now maybe Cardin won't give you such a hard time."

Jaune doubted that the brawny, self-appointed leader of the Kokiri would ever give him a break. He kept the thought to himself, though, and responded, "Yeah, hopefully."

The red fairy cut in at this point, "Jaune, the Great Deku Tree is still waiting for us. We have to get going."

"The Great Deku Tree?" Sun's voice was a mix of shocked and impressed. "Wow, Jaune, that's a real honor. You better get going. Let me know how it goes, yeah?"

"Yeah, sure, no problem," Jaune agreed before walking away.

As he walked, he passed by other Kokiri who offered him polite greetings, but not much else. Jaune was something of an outcast. The only one that truly accepted him was Sun. He wasn't exactly ostracized, save by one person. It was just that he was clearly different from everyone else. He wasn't of the same physique as the other Kokiri, he couldn't commune with the forest spirits, and he couldn't even manage the most basic of Forest Glyphs. Once or twice, whispers had been shared about whether the Great Deku Tree had mistakenly made him.

That one hurt the worst of all. That he was a mistake.

While slightly downcast about how everyone perceived him, he still tried his best to help out with the daily workings of the village. At least, he did until word had spread about what a klutz he was. Nowadays, he just tried to stay out of everyone's way. It wasn't exactly what he wanted to do, but if doing nothing was more helpful to others than doing something, he would continue to do it without complaint.

As he approached the pathway that led to the Father of the Forest, Jaune saw the one Kokiri who actively pushed him away. Cardin the Fierce, they all called him. It was as cheesy as it was appropriate. Cardin was indeed a fierce one. He had earned the title after single-handedly obliterating a pack of Grimm with his custom-made, Deku wood mace. Of course, such a title served to inflate his ego and he appointed himself the leader of the Kokiri. No one contested his claim, and the only one who could had no interest in being leader. Sun, however, made a point of rebelling against Cardin by dismissing everything he said off hand. There wasn't much Cardin could do about it, either. Sun was a free spirit and a local celebrity just by being such.

Of course, he couldn't just let it go. So instead, he frequently turned his frustrations on Jaune. As an outcast, there wasn't much anyone did to come to his defense, except for Sun. But that was when Sun was present and not running around the nearby Emerald Forest. Sun wasn't with Jaune right now, though. And so Cardin took to his usual barbs.

"Well, hey there, Mr. No-Fairy," he said with a sneer. "What do you think you're doing here?"

Jaune gulped and tried to control his voice as he spoke, "I- uh- I need to go and- uh- see the Dek- the Great Deku Tree..."

The brawnier boy snorted. "And why would the Great Deku Tree want to see _you_? You don't even have a fairy yet, which means you aren't even really a man. Buzz off, No-Fairy. The Great Deku Tree has no time to entertain _children_."

Ruby, who had been watching in disbelief as the 'Boy of Prophecy' took a verbal beating from the larger boy, chimed her wings angrily and spoke up. "He _does_ have a fairy, you big dumb meathead!"

Cardin turned his gaze towards the red light that spoke to him, shock slapped across his face. He shook his head and regained his sneer. "Well, whaddya know. You actually got a fairy. Knowing you, though, she's probably just as pathetic. I mean, look at her color! What kind of fairy has a _red_ glow?"

"_This_ fairy, Brawn-But-No-Brains," Ruby said venomously. Cardin glared back at her but decided to drop it and turn his sights back on Jaune. "Even_ if _you have a fairy, I can't let you through unless you're equipped with a weapon and shield. It's dangerous out there. Especially for a scrawny little weakling like you."

"The Great Deku Tree _told_ me to bring Jaune to him," Ruby said irritatedly. Cardin remained staunch.

"Then Jauney boy better go get a weapon and shield." He leaned in closer to Jaune's face. "It wouldn't be polite to leave the Great Deku Tree waiting." Then he shoved Jaune backwards, sending the boy stumbling back. He just managed to catch himself before he fell, though. Jaune gave a half-hearted glare towards Cardin, who returned it with triple intensity, before turning around and making his way back to the heart of the village.

As he walked, Ruby flew right by him and talked. "What in Farore's name was _that_ about?"

"That's just how Cardin is," Jaune explained, trying to brush it off. He was focusing on stopping by the shop and picking up a shield and weapon.

"No, I mean why did you just let him step all over you like that?" Ruby asked incredulously. "The _Great Deku Tree_ asked for you _personally_ and you don't even have enough pride to use _that_! You just let him insult you with no resistance!"

Jaune only shrugged and smiled in response.

It was incomprehensible to Ruby. Wasn't this supposed to be the Boy of Prophecy? The one the Deku Tree said would save the world? How could the fate of the world rest in the hands of such a scrawny, timid boy?

No, she couldn't think like that. The Great Deku Tree said to seek out Jaune. This was clearly Jaune, as evidenced by everyone calling him that. The Deku Tree was never wrong before. She couldn't doubt him now. Not for such an important matter.

* * *

"OOF!"

Ruby _desperately_ hoped the Great Deku Tree knew what he was doing.

Picking himself up off the floor after having screwed up with another weapon, Jaune gave the sturdy wooden spear another look over before handing it back to the shopkeeper. "I don't think this one is for me, either."

The shopkeep shook his head and sighed before taking back the spear. "Well, we've got no other weapons here," he told Jaune. "If you can't stop tripping up over standard Kokiri weapons, then you're out of luck."

A defeated sigh escaped Jaune's lips. It figured; he couldn't wield daggers without nearly slicing his fingers off or use a pole weapon without tripping up his feet.

"Then I'll just buy a shield," he said, and began digging into his money pouch for the necessary Rupees.

"I think that's the best decision you've made all day."

As the shopkeeper turned around to pull a wooden Deku shield off the shelf, Jaune was playfully shoved from the back. He turned around and was met with the grinning visage of Sun. "Watchya up to in here? I thought you were going to see the Great Deku Tree."

Jaune shrugged, "Cardin won't let me through unless I have a weapon and a shield, so I came here to get them."

Sun rolled his eyes at that. Cardin couldn't go one minute without being an unreasonable jerk. Jaune's voice caught his attention again.

"Say, Sun...do you think you could teach me how to use a staff?"

The bigger blonde scratched the back of his head nervously and tried to be diplomatic with his next words. "Well, using a staff isn't really something I know _how_ to teach. I'm just naturally good at it."

The downcast look on Jaune's face didn't let Sun just leave it at that. "Have you tried daggers? They're small and easy to use," he offered.

Jaune nodded his head and said, "Yeah, I did. I almost cut my fingers off in the process. They're just too light."

Well, this was a predicament. Pole weapons were too long and daggers were too small. Sun scratched his cheek, trying to figure out else he could use. Then it hit him.

"A sword!"

Jaune looked at Sun, confusion in his eyes. Sun explained his sudden outburst.

"Well, if staffs are so long that you trip over them, and daggers are too small for you to use properly, then why not just get a sword?"

Sun mentally patted himself on the back for coming up with such a genius solution while Jaune felt hope blossom in his chest. Until the shopkeeper burst their bubble.

"Yeah, that's great and all, but we don't sell swords. There isn't a single Kokiri around here who can use a sword, anyway."

There went Jaune's excitement. "Figures," he sighed. A rough pat on his back knocked him from his melancholy.

"Don't worry about it, Jaune," Sun said, seemingly unphased. "They don't sell swords here, but I know where you can get one."

* * *

Jaune stared at the small hole at the base of one of the earthen walls bordering Kokiri Forest. It looked far too small for any Kokiri to fit through. Any Kokiri that didn't have Jaune's physique, that is.

"Are you sure about this, Sun?" he asked tentatively.

"Of course I am!" Sun responded jovially. "My fairy scoped out everything on the other side of this hole and he said there's a chest with a sword." The fairy floating next to him chimed in agreement.

Ruby chose to add in her two Rupees, "There's no time to second guess this, Jaune. We need to see the Great Deku Tree as soon as possible and you need a weapon if you want to get past that jerk."

Jaune sighed and removed his new shield off his back. He got down on his belly and crawled through, pushing his Deku shield in front of him. He stood up as soon as he was out of the hole on the other side. Ruby, small as she was, followed through with no difficulties. Jaune looked around to get a bearing on his surroundings.

There were two paths to take; one to his left and one right in front of him. The one in front was a clear path and the other had a large boulder _rolling right at them_.

"SWEET DEKU SCRUB!"

"RUN!"

Jaune didn't need to be told twice. The Kokiri took off down the clear path as fast as he possibly could, his shield held underneath his arm. He could hear the rumbling of the boulder get steadily closer and he pumped his legs harder, hoping to not get squashed. Ruby was speeding ahead of him with the same hope. Before Jaune could yell at her to wait up, the ground disappeared beneath him and Jaune fell. And he kept falling.

Panic welled in his chest as wind whipped past his falling body. He had no clue how far the ground was but he knew it was too far to be painless. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact.

It didn't help much.

"Ow...," he groaned. He shakily picked himself back up and dusted off his clothes before surveying his surroundings. The light provided by the hole in the ceiling illuminated the surprisingly small environment. It also revealed the chest sitting at the other side of the cavern.

The boy blinked at the presence of the chest. Could this be...

"There's no way I'm that lucky...," he said to himself, and walked towards the chest. It was a simple wooden chest, its wood was aged but it still seemed sturdy. Could this be where the sword was?

Jaune reached down and gripped the lid. With a nervous gulp he quickly lifted the lid to peer at the contents within.

At least, that's what he would've done had the chest not been locked. As it were, though, the chest was locked and Jaune's attempt at opening it resulted only in the box being rattled.

The blonde-haired forest boy stared disbelievingly at the chest before trying again to wrench the lid up. Then he did it again. And again. And once more, after that. Were it a living thing, the chest would be unimpressed by Jaune's strength. But it wasn't a living thing; it was a wooden chest. A wooden chest that Jaune couldn't open no matter what he did.

He slumped in disappointment. He didn't know why he would expect anything different. It seemed all of life conspired against Jaune. Nothing he did ever went right, except when he was doing nothing. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt. Why did simply _existing_ have to be so hard? Why were all his efforts to be a good, helpful person just seen as nuisances? Was he a horrible person in a past life? Was this miserable life he now lived just repentance? Did he do something to anger the goddesses?

It wasn't fair...

It just wasn't _fair._

Jaune clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as anger began to swirl in his chest. He was angry at life. He was angry at Cardin. He was angry at himself. But most of all, he was angry at this _stupid, glorified box!_

With an angry shout, Jaune shot his foot forward and kicked the chest, impacting it with all the frustration that had been building up inside of him for the past 17 years of his life.

_THUMP-creeeeaaak_

Anger was swiftly replaced by shock as Jaune stared at the now open chest sitting in front of him. Silence reigned for a moment as he tried to make sense of what just happened. When it fully registered that the chest was open, he carefully leaned down and took a peek inside.

There, laying unceremoniously at the bottom, was a bastard sword sheathed in a plain scabbard. The handle was wrapped in aged and beaten leather and the red stone embedded in the guard was scuffed. The sheath was in a better condition, probably by virtue of only being used to hold the sword/

Jaune reached into the chest and gingerly grasped the hilt and the covered blade. The moment his fingers wrapped completely around it, metaphorical static ran up and down his skin, raising goosebumps. He slowly raised himself back to an upright position, sword in hand. Tightening his grip, Jaune slowly pulled the sword out of its sheath. The rasping of the blade against the scabbard sent a chill down his spine.

When the sword was fully drawn, he took the time to admire the blade. Though scuffed and scratched, it only gave the weapon a sense of reliability. It had a heft to it without being too heavy for Jaune to hold up with one hand. He swung it once, the swish of the blade cutting through air might as well have been a ballad for the way it sung to his ears. This was it. This was _his_ weapon.

The power Jaune felt in his right hand made his empty left hand all the more poignant. With a start, he realized he didn't have his shield. He spun around and looked back towards his landing point and spotted it laying on the ground. He made his way back over to it and picked it up, fitting it onto his left arm.

With a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, Jaune felt like an adventurer. A smile stretched across his face and he struck several heroic poses. His fun was interrupted by a tiny giggle. Startled, Jaune yelped and dropped the sword, choosing to hold his shield tightly in front of him.

"W-Who's there?!"

Above him, the giggling turned into outright laughter. Looking up, Jaune saw the source of the amusement. It was Ruby, clutching her stomach and tearing up from laughter. Realizing that the small fairy must have been watching him, a blush spread across his cheeks and he looked down at the floor in embarrassment.

Ruby's laughter eventually petered out, and the fairy wiped away the tears in her eyes. She looked down at Jaune and jokingly remarked, "Looks like you're ready to go, Bigshot."

"Yeah, yeah..." Jaune muttered, still feeling his cheeks burn. "Where were you anyway?"

It was Ruby's turn to blush time. She smiled sheepishly and hunched her shoulders in a gesture of remorse. "I, uh, I kind of went ahead because I didn't want to get squashed when I suddenly realized I could just fly higher than the boulder. Then I realized you weren't with me and..."

She left the sentence hanging. Ruby didn't want to tell Jaune about how badly she panicked at losing the Boy of Prophecy on her watch.

Jaune merely brushed it off, though. It wasn't like he could blame her for her tunnel vision. That boulder was a terrifying combination of huge and fast.

"It's fine, you're not the first person to forget I'm there," he tried to joke. Rather than making Ruby feel better, it made her smile more strained and caused her to avert her eyes in shame. Seeing that he just made her feel worse, Jaune averted his own eyes. They both stood - or in Ruby's case, floated - there in mutually awkward silence before Ruby spoke up.

"We should get going. We've kept the Great Deku Tree waiting long enough."

The Kokiri boy looked around and then back up at Ruby, "Yeah, but...how?"

Ruby pointed up at the hole in the ceiling. "Duh?"

In response, Jaune pointed a thumb at his back, which were noticeably lacking in wings. "Duh?"

"Oh, right..." Ruby said, embarrassed. "Um...guess you better start climbing?" she finally offered lamely.

Jaune sighed in exasperation. That figured.

* * *

Sun cracked an eye open when he heard grunts and the sound of cloth scraping against dirt coming from the hole in the wall. Turning his head from his position on the ground, he watched as Jaune pushed his shield and a sheathed sword out of the hole before pulling himself out. Sun grinned at the sight of the blade in Jaune's possession.

"Hey there, bud! I see you got the sword! I told you it was there," he said smugly.

Jaune fixed the bigger boy with a glare. "Yeah, but you didn't tell me there was a _giant rock rolling around_ or that the sword was in a _locked _chest in a _hole in the_ _ground_."

Sun blinked in confusion. "Uh, I didn't know those things where there either. My fairy just told me that there was a sword there."

The glow resting on his chest chimed in what could be construed as an apology. Jaune only sighed and began trudging back towards the path that led towards the Great Deku Tree. Sun didn't bother getting up, choosing instead to remain relaxed on the ground. He did offer an unseen wave as Jaune left, though.

"Good luck, buddy."

Neither Sun nor Jaune knew how badly Jaune would need that luck.

* * *

It didn't take long for Jaune to make his way back towards the pathway, where Cardin didn't hesitate to verbally harass him some more.

"Welcome back, Mr. Lame-Fairy," he sneered. Ruby took the new nickname more personally for obvious reasons.

"Wow, it must have taken a long time for you to finally come up with that one, Meathead" she shot back. Cardin made the tactical decision to ignore the mouthy fairy and focus on his timid victim.

"I thought I told you that you need equipment to go see the Great Deku Tree," the bulky boy said.

Before Jaune could get a word out, Ruby - tired of wasting time - flew up into Cardin's face. "Are you blind _and_ stupid?" she asked rhetorically. "Look at his back. He's got a weapon and a shield, now _move_."

Initially taken aback by her sudden aggression, Cardin regained his snide attitude quickly. He jerked his face forward, startling Ruby enough to make her fly back to avoid being rammed, and continued to pick apart the smaller Kokiri.

"Having your fairy fight your battles now? Talk about lame." He smirked down at Jaune as he continued, "Why would the Great Deku Tree be interested in such a weakling?"

Ruby opened her mouth to ream Cardin out. Before she could, Jaune finally spoke up.

"Move, Cardin..."

Both Ruby and Cardin stared at Jaune in surprise. The boy kept his eyes below Cardin's, but his face seemed to be tightened in resolve. Though surprised by Jaune's newfound courage, Cardin took it as a challenge and glared at the smaller boy. "What did you just say to me, you little punk?"

Rather than being cowed, Jaune repeated his words. His voice was firmer, and he lifted his head to lock eyes with the larger boy.

"I said 'Move, Cardin'."

Cardin scowled fiercely and grabbed Jaune by the front of his tunic, jerking him closer to his face. "You think just because you have a dinky little sword now, you can talk to me like that? Maybe you're forgetting who's the boss here."

That remark stung Jaune because it was spot on. His new weapon _had_ given him the momentary confidence to take a stand against Cardin for once. He should've known it wouldn't make a difference. Sword or not, he was still a loser. Now Cardin was going to imprint it on his face in the form of his fist.

Suddenly Cardin turned around with Jaune in hand and shoved him onto the path. The blond stumbled backwards and fell onto his rear end. He looked up at Cardin with surprise and confusion plastered onto his face. Cardin's smug face, though, made it clear this wasn't an act of mercy.

"Since you you're _obviously_ such a bigshot now, I'm sure you can handle the the beasts of Grimm that prowl the woods," he said sarcastically. "Say hi to the Great Deku Tree for me. That is, if you get there alive."

Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Jaune picked himself up and dusted himself off. He then turned around and made his way down the path his head held high and his chest puffed out.

Ruby, who was in awe of the sudden change Jaune seemed to undergo, couldn't help but comment, "Wow, Jaune. I didn't know you had it in you."

The Kokiri didn't respond until they had turned a corner and left Cardin's eyesight. The bravado that he exuded disappeared as though it were never there in the first place and he hunched over, placing his hands on his knees. "That's 'cause I don't..." he admitted pathetically.

That confrontation with the self-proclaimed leader of the Kokiri was the most intense situation he had ever been in. Running from a boulder didn't rank even close to it, because he hadn't purposely put himself in that position. He could've sworn the bigger boy was going to rearrange his entire body structure just for talking back to him.

The red fairy looked down at the boy with worry. If he was this shaken up from having a spat with one of his own people, how could he possibly have the strength to face the coming storm?

When Jaune finally gathered himself, he looked straight forward and spoke, "...We should get going..." Then he began walking further down the path.

Ruby remained silent and followed after him.

* * *

They two of them walked in silence for several minutes before Jaune broke it.

"So...what Cardin said...about the Grimm, that is..."

Ruby rolled her eyes and explained, "He's full of it. The Deku Tree enchanted this pathway so that the Grimm can't step onto it. As long as you stay on the path, you'll be safe."

Jaune sighed in relief. Then confusion replaced it. "Wait, if it's safe to go meet the Great Deku Tree, why didn't you just say so in the first place? Then I wouldn't have needed to get this equipment."

A small grimace stretched across Ruby's face. "It's...not my place to say. The Deku Tree will explain everything."

That answer was less than comforting.

Ruby spotted the end of the path ahead. "C'mon, Jaune. He's just up ahead," she told him before speeding up.

Jaune jogged after her, his shield thunking against the scabbard as he did so. Finally, they left the tree-lined path and entered a large open area. Sitting smack dab in the center of the area, and taking up most of the space, was a massive tree. The Father of the Forest. The Protector of the Kokiri.

The Great Deku Tree.

Upon seeing the boy and the fairy enter the clearing, the Great Tree spoke. It's powerful voice reverberated through Jaune's body and made him feel small and humble.

"**Ah...thou hast completed the task given unto thee, Ruby the Fairy...you have my eternal** **gratitude...**"

Ruby blushed at the high praise and smiled widely, "It was nothing, Deku Tree."

Though the Great Deku Tree could not technically turn its face, nor did it have actual eyes with which to see, Jaune felt the Tree's attention bear down onto his very being. "**Jaune of the Kokiri...surely thou hast been wondering why thou hast been summoned...**"

Jaune nodded but did not dare say anything, for fear he might offend the Great Deku Tree.

As though sensing his trepidation, the Great Deku Tree chuckled warmly and said, "**Be calm, Jaune of the Kokiri...I will not smite thee for having a voice...**"

Those words were oddly calming, and Jaune felt some of the tension leave his body. "R-right...uh, thank you, Great Deku Tree..."

Another chuckle echoed from the Great Tree before it continued speaking. It's tone, however, took a grim turn. "**There is much I must speaketh to thou of...but there is a task I must place upon thine shoulders before I do so, Jaune of the Kokiri...**"**  
**

Jaune felt something well up in his chest. The Great Deku Tree was going to entrust _him_ with a task? Jaune the Clumsy? Jaune the Outcast? Jaune the Mistake?

He felt his knees begin to tremble and he took in a shaky breath to try and steady his nerves. "Wh-What would you have me do, Gr-Great Deku Tree?" he asked hesitantly.

"**A curse was cast upon me by an evil Sorceress...I ask thee to break that which ails me so...**" Jaune's body froze with shock at the revelation. Ruby was somber but otherwise unaffected. It seemed she knew as much already.

The Great Deku Tree then asked the one question that would define Jaune's life from that point on.

"**Dost thou have the Courage to accomplish this task...?**"

Silence reigned for a moment. The previously spacious area seemed to close in on Jaune as he became light-headed. His whole body became numb and the ambiance of the forest grew quieter and quieter until all that he could hear was his thumping heart.

He couldn't believe it. The _Great Deku Tree_ is entrusting _him_, Jaune the Clumsy, with such an important task. All his life, he was nothing but a screw-up that no one would trust enough to even hold a leaf.

Even after deciding to stay out of everyone's way, he constantly wished for something, _anything_ to come up that he could prove himself with.

Was this it? Was this his chance to prove that he wasn't just a useless klutz? Could this be the chance that Jaune had waited years for?

Jaune's swallowed thickly and clenched his fists tightly. He then looked straight at the Great Deku Tree as he gave his answer.

"I can do it."

Were it able to, the Great Deku Tree would have smiled.

"**Very well, Boy of Courage...enter, and destroy the curse...**"

The Deku Tree's 'mouth' creaked deeply as it lowered, revealing a massive doorway. Jaune gulped again and began walking forward. A tickle on his neck brought his attention to the fairy that smiled up at him from his shoulder.

"I got your back, Jaune," Ruby reassured him.

He returned her smile nervously before looking forward and entering the Great Deku Tree.

Jaune had no clue that he was now the world's only hope of defeating the coming darkness.

* * *

**A/N:**** So, to those of you who have likely been wondering why I've seemingly been just sitting around with my thumb up my bumhole, I present to you that which I have been truly working on. A RWBY/LoZ crossover!**

**Yes, yes, I'll gladly take your accusations of flakiness and unreliability. Lord knows I deserve them. I feel really solid about this idea, though. Chapter Four is approaching completion so if I keep up this work ethic then you won't be waiting long for updates.**

**Chapter Trivia: When I first started planning for this story, I had the hardest time trying to decide who would play Saria. I was juggling with Ruby, Pyrrha, and Ren, but the three of them had other roles they could conform to nicely. Then when Sun was revealed, I decided that I had found my 'Saria'. He's basically the confident, if reckless, older brother. This also led to my slightly altered take on the Kokiri. After that, I was able to finally cast Navi, for which it was a contest between Ruby and Pyrrha. Ruby obviously won.**

**So, I hope you enjoyed this. I look forward to your guesses on the other equivalents to be made in this story.**


	2. Second Heart: Into the Abyss

x

The Legend of Jaune

Second Heart

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda or RWBY. They are the intellectual properties of Nintendo and RoosterTeeth, respectively.

* * *

The moment Jaune entered the Great Deku Tree, the sounds of the forest ceased to be and was instead replaced with an eerie quiet that raised the hair on the back of Jaune's neck.

"So...," Jaune began unsurely, "How do I break this curse? Is there a Glyph I need to do? I'm pretty bad with Glyphs..."

"There's a monster somewhere in here that's acting as a medium," Ruby explained to him. "Killing it should break the curse."

"That explains why I need a sword and a shield...," the Kokiri muttered. He checked his surroundings again, hoping to get an idea of where he needed to go. Though he turned his head left and right, he couldn't find any way to proceed further. He tentatively walked further inside, hoping that some passage would make itself visible.

So fixated on finding some sort of path or doorway, he didn't see the massive web in the center of the floor until he stepped on it.

"Wha- ? Oh- Oh, man!" Jaune shouted in panic. He danced around on the web, trying to keep from being stuck to it. Though the adhesive webbing stuck to Jaune's foot, it wasn't strong enough to keep it stuck, luckily. Jaune threw himself backwards off the web and onto the ground. Now free of the web, he scrambled back to his feet and unsheathed his sword and shield, pointing the former at the web and keeping the latter tight to his person.

"PFF-."

Jaune swung his head to look at Ruby, who was barely keeping herself from bursting out in laughter.

"What's so funny about this?!" Jaune shouted at her, still in a panic. "Do you _see_ how big that web is?! Wh-What kind of bug makes something that big? What if-," his eyes seemed to widen further as he continued, "-What if it belongs to a big, fuzzy spider monster?"

Ruby could contain herself no longer. Her laughter rung throughout the silent chamber as she held her stomach. It was enough to snap Jaune out of his panic and instead send blood rushing to his cheeks. When Ruby's laughter finally died out and she wiped the tears from her eyes, she looked over at Jaune and saw him standing awkwardly with averted eyes and a strained smile.

The small fairy flew closer to the boy and patted him on the shoulder, an amused smile still on her face. "There, there, Jaune. It was a pretty reasonable reaction, I guess."

"Heheh, yeah, I guess...," Jaune said, clearly embarrassed by his reaction. He looked back at the web, still nervous about what could have possibly made it. He was so focused on the web itself, though, that he didn't notice what was beneath it. Or rather, what wasn't. Luckily for the boy, Ruby did.

"Hey, look at this," she said flying closer to the web.

Jaune gave her a confused look and responded, "Yeah, I noticed it when I stepped on it, Ruby."

The girl shook her head, "Not the web. _Underneath_ the web! It looks like there's a way down there!"

Jaune hesitantly stepped closer and leaned over to look down at the web. Sure enough, there was no ground underneath it, only a long drop.

A _long_ drop.

"I...don't think that's going to work..." Jaune said, reluctant to take another fast trip in a straight downward direction. Ruby pursed her lips and dove through an opening in the web without a word.

"Hey, wait! Ruby!" Jaune shouted down at her. He looked around his surroundings again, making sure nothing was going to sneak up on him, before looking back down the hole. A moment passed in silence before Ruby reappeared from said hole. She seemed pleased about something.

"Don't worry about it, Jaune," she told him. "There's some pretty deep water at the bottom. It won't kill you."

_But it'll still hurt_, was left unsaid. Jaune took a few glances between Ruby and the hole before sighing and unsheathing his sword. He stepped onto the webbing, wobbling as it bounced up and down. The Kokiri inhaled deeply and then swung his sword down with the intent to slice through. Only it didn't.

Jaune stared in disbelief as his blade only got stuck in the thick threads. Jerking it out of the web, he tried again only to get the same outcome. Then again, with the exact same result. As the boy swung his sword again and again, Ruby looked around for another solution.

As her eyes drifted further up, something caught her eyes. Lining the wall was a spiraling walkway that went all the way up. Ruby looked back down at the bouncing web Jaune stood on, then back up at the walkway.

"Hey!"

Jaune ceased his futile attempts to cut the web and looked at Ruby, who was smiling excitedly down at him. "I have an idea!" she said. Then she pointed up, bring his attention to walkway that lead all the way to the top of the chamber. At first, Jaune was only confused. They were trying to go down, not up. As he brought himself fully upright to ask Ruby what she was getting at, the web beneath him wobbled from the minor movement. It clicked immediately.

"No," he told her. "No. Nuh-uh. No way. Not happening."

Ruby wasn't having any of that, though. "Well, unless you can cut through this web before the day ends, that's the only option."

The boy looked helplessly down at the nearly pristine web and then at his sword before sighing. "Alright..."

As he got off the web and started walking, he quickly noticed a problem.

The walkway didn't go all the way to the ground.

"Uh, Ruby...how am I supposed to get up there?" Jaune asked, pointing towards the raised path.

The little fairy crossed one arm across her body and tapped her chin in thought. Then she smiled and snapped her fingers before flying over to the lowest part of the walkway, which had a curtain of vines growing down its side.

"These vines look strong enough to hold you. Maybe you can climb up these!" she said, gesturing towards the thick vegetation.

Jaune grimaced at the idea, but he had little choice. He walked towards the wall of vines and tentatively grasped one. He gave it a sharp tug to test its strength and was slightly comforted when it didn't do much more than jostle the other vines surrounding it. Grabbing another vine and placing a foot into the entangled plants, Jaune began to climb up.

Thankfully, the vines held his weight and he managed to make to the top. The young man dusted himself off and began his trek up the pathway. As he walked, he couldn't help but feel slightly underwhelmed by the situation. When he accepted this task, he expected to jump right into something intense. Instead he was walking up a winding ramp in eerie silence.

Don't get him wrong, he was glad he didn't have to fight through hordes of monsters or anything. In a way, though, he was almost disappointed.

That sentiment was destroyed the moment he heard a loud rustling sound. He jumped and twisted his head this way and that, looking for the source of the sound.

"Hey!"

Jaune jerked his head up towards Ruby's shout. He squeaked in fear and felt the blood leave his face at the sight that met him. Attached to the vines on the wall next to him was a spider about as large as he was. The back of its abdomen was covered in a hard, bone-like shell that took on the horrifying shape of a human skull. Its black, chitinous head was unarmored but just as terrifying. The eight red eyes that lined its face seemed to burn into his soul, and its massive fangs dribbled sickeningly as a chittering emanated from its mouth.

The frightened Kokiri stumbled backwards, desperate to escape from the nightmare incarnate. So eager that he forgot he was on a narrow walkway. His foot slipped off the edge and he fell off. The terror he felt towards the monster was replaced by the terror of falling, which shortly made way for the jarring pain that pushed the wind from his lungs and made 'up' indistinguishable from 'down'.

As Jaune lay there, winded and dazed, he couldn't help but vaguely ponder what it was with him and taking long falls today.

"Jaune! Jaune! Are you alright?!" Ruby cried out as she flew down to check on him. Jaune made a choked groan and shook his head. He was certainly not alright. He had had no expectations for today other than avoiding Cardin and staying out of everyone's way. Instead, it had been an uphill battle from the moment he woke up. He had to come into direct contact with Cardin, then he got chased by a boulder and fell down a hole, then he had to climb out of said hole, and then he had to confront Cardin _again_. After nearly getting pummeled by the musclebound Kokiri he met with Great Deku Tree who told him that he needed to break a curse, and right after he confidently told the Great Deku Tree he could do it he ended up running from the monster and falling...again.

"Ruby...," he began when he finally managed to breathe properly, "...Maybe we should just get someone else to do this..."

"We can't, Jaune," Ruby told him. "You're the only one who can do this."

The boy groaned pathetically and slowly sat himself up. "I can't do this, though...I ran from the monster the moment I saw it. Someone else must be more qualified to do this."

Ruby flew down and hovered in front Jaune's face. She fixed him with a deadly serious look as she spoke, "I'm not kidding. You're the _only_ one who can do this. There _is_ no one else. If you don't do this...then bad things will happen..."

The ominous tone with which she said that sent dread creeping up Jaune's spine.

"Bad things?" he asked. Ruby nodded grimly.

"Very bad things."

Jaune's head drooped in depression. He was seriously the only one who could do this? That was a lot of pressure.

He took a deep breath and exhaled in resignation. Then he picked himself back up, wincing as his body protested the movement.

"Okay," he sighed. "Let's try this again."

* * *

Even as he approached with sword and shield in hand, Jaune couldn't help the sudden terror that appeared when he saw the giant spider again. It hadn't moved from its position on the wall. Even when it noticed him and began chittering threateningly, it adamantly stayed in its spot. Ruby helpfully explained why without prompt.

"It's a Skulltula. Their heads and undersides are vulnerable, so instead of attacking people head on, they wait until they're climbing and unable to use their weapons to strike."

Jaune hesitantly lowered his shield, "So...it won't attack unless I'm climbing next to it?"

Ruby nodded in affirmation, causing Jaune to sigh in relief.

"Um...Jaune," Ruby pointed down the walkway he was on and then pointed up. Jaune followed her finger and found, to his horror, that the path ended abruptly a few yards down and that there was another walkway right above him that continued on. However, the only way to reach that walkway was to climb past the Skulltula.

"Oh, Scrub..." Jaune whimpered.

Ruby wasted no time in trying to bolster his confidence, "It's fine, Jaune! Skulltulas are really easy to kill! Just get them once with a really good strike and they're dead!"

Easy to kill or not, he didn't want to go anywhere near the horrifying creature. Besides, the thing was high up on the wall. There was no way he could reach it with his sword. He either needed to go up to it or it needed to come down to him; and if what Ruby said was true, it wasn't going to come down to his level any time soon.

Jaune paused briefly as he considered that thought.

He didn't need it to come down to his level, he just needed it to come _close_ to his level. In order to do that, however, he needed to give it a reason to come close. He needed bait.

Unfortunately, Jaune realized, he was the only bait around. With a nervous gulp, he sheathed his sword and placed his shield on his back. The Skulltula seemed to get more anxious as he did so. The fact that it seemed to recognize the act of him putting his weapons away was very disconcerting.

Jaune carefully pulled himself onto the vine wall, only a few inches off of the ground. The Grimm creature didn't take the bait just yet, however. It stayed in its spot, chittering away. It looked like it was waiting for him to get further away from the ground before striking. Jaune grudgingly obliged and climbed further up, his heart pounding hard in his chest. Even as he climbed closer to the Skulltula, it remained in its spot. Its eyes were locked on Jaune's form and its mandibles clicked eagerly.

Finally, when Jaune was only a meter away, the massive spider struck. Jaune, anticipating it from the moment he started climbing, pushed himself off and dropped feet first. The Skulltula chased after his falling form, eager to tear him to shreds. He landed on his feet hard, but pushed past the pain and unsheathed his sword with a flourish. The Skulltula, realizing it was now vulnerable, tried to scurry back up the vines.

Jaune was faster, though. He swung his sword unceremoniously and cleaved it through the Skulltula's head with a crunch. The creature screeched horrifically and fell from its position towards Jaune, who dived to the side to avoid being crushed. The Grimm arachnid hit the floor with a thump and its legs curled in towards its body. It laid there for a moment before spontaneously combusting. The body quickly burned up and the fire disappeared, leaving not even ash.

There was a moment of silence as the blonde Kokiri sat on the ground, staring at the spot the Skulltula's body once inhabited. When it finally sunk in that it was dead, he laughed shakily.

"I...I did it...," he said to himself. "I did it! Hahaha!"

The ecstatic boy fell onto his back and basked in the feeling of victory. It was an incredible feeling, one he wouldn't soon forget.

Unfortunately, Ruby was forced to burst his bubble. To her credit, she felt guilty about doing so. "Um... Jaune, it's great that you killed it and all...but that was a very weak Grimm. There's no way someone would make something like a Skulltula the medium for a curse."

The pleasant rush that Jaune was marinading in disappeared and his head snapped up to look at Ruby. "Wait...so you're saying-"

"-That the curse is still active," Ruby finished for him. Jaune's head fell back onto the ground with a painful thump and he moaned in misery.

* * *

After pulling himself together, Jaune climbed up the vines and pulled himself onto the next walkway. This one didn't incline, however. Rather, it went around in a complete circle. That was only the second thing to register, though. The first was the the mass of webs that bordered the path and the ceiling, acting as a wall.

"Well, Ruby. We're here at the top," Jaune said cheerily. "But oh, look! I can't jump off! Oh well. Better get back down and try another way!"

Jaune spun around on a foot and got ready to climb back down.

"Nope!" came the cheery reply.

He turned his around and looked at her in befuddlement. "Nope?"

"Nope!" Ruby repeated. "There's a big-enough hole in the webs over on the other side."

Sure enough, when Jaune looked hard enough through the wall of webs, he could see an opening in the pseudo-wall. So, hanging his head in defeat, he trudged around the large circle until he was standing in front of said opening, which had an irregular outcropping jutting out from it. If anything, at least now he was more certain about not missing the hole.

He looked towards Ruby pleadingly and asked, "Are you absolutely sure this is the only way?"

"Nope! But we're already up here, so..." Ruby gestured vaguely with her head towards the edge. Try as he might, the boy couldn't formulate a proper response to that. So instead he resigned himself to literally taking the leap. As he stepped closer to the edge, however, a familiar chittering made itself heard above him.

"Look out!" Ruby shouted at him. The warning came too late, however, as a Skulltula descended from the shadowed ceiling; its fangs clacking viciously as it did so. Jaune only managed to react fast enough to grab both fangs with his bare hands. He lacked the strength to completely halt the creature's descent however, and was knocked onto his back with the Skulltula hovering right over him. He kept a tight grip on the Grimm's fangs and was desperately trying to push them further away. It quickly became apparent that his efforts were only delaying the inevitable, as the Skulltula's jaws inched closer and closer to his neck.

Ruby, unwilling to just sit back and watch as the Grimm approached its goal of killing Jaune, shot forward as fast as her wings could take her.

"Get off of him!" she shouted as she flipped around and executed a perfect flying kick into one of the Skulltula's eyes.

The creature screeched in pain and let up slightly on Jaune. It was all the boy needed. He jerked the spider's head to his right and let it slam into the wood. He rolled to the left and got up on the other side of the Grimm.

The vulnerable, unarmored underbelly side.

Taking only a second to realize the advantage he now had, Jaune unsheathed his sword and swung it in a diagonal arc. The blade cut through the Skulltula's chitinous flesh with surprising ease. It fell to the ground with a screech and died, spontaneously combusting immediately after.

Silence once again reigned in the cavernous chamber of the Great Deku Tree. Jaune was trying to collect himself from his third brush with death of the day. This time was much closer than the previous two. If Ruby hadn't jumped in, he would've- _Ruby!_

"Ruby!" he shouted in worry. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," came the cheery reply. Her remarkably chipper appearance was a stark contrast to Jaune's. The fairy didn't even seem ruffled by the encounter.

Rather than comment on it, though, he chose to instead express his gratitude. "Thanks, Ruby. if it weren't for you, I'd be-..." he trailed off, reluctant to finish that sentence.

"Grimm chow?" Ruby finished jokingly.

Jaune chuckled weakly. "Heh...yeah..."

The red fairy suddenly clapped her hands together and said, "Alright, time to take the leap, Jaune. Don't worry, I'll be right behind you!"

_'Coming from someone with wings, that's not very comforting,'_ the boy thought.

* * *

There was indeed water down at the bottom of the hole, in the form of a miniature river. It was deep enough that diving into it would safely diffuse most of the impact.

"-aaaaaAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

If Jaune were the type to have a cool head, he might have thought to do so. As it were, though, he was not. So he didn't.

_SMACK_

Ruby, who had followed his descent, hissed at the painful impact. She hoped he hadn't knocked himself out as he was lying face down in the water.

"Glurgblrbgrllrbu..."

Well, now she knew he was alive at least.

Fortunately, Jaune still retained enough lucidity to realize that water wasn't a good substitute for air and managed pulled himself up onto land. He laid on the ground for a moment, gasping for breath and trying to ignore the burning pain from the harsh landing.

As he gathered himself together enough to stand up, he noticed something discomforting.

It was _really_ dark down here.

There was only a small amount of light coming down from the hole, providing a dim illumination of the area directly below it. The rest of the chamber was too dark to see more than a foot or two in front of him.

"Ru-," Jaune's voice came out raspy and low, a result of having the wind knocked out of him not two minutes ago. He breathed deeply to get some more oxygen in and cleared his throat before trying again, "Ruby, I can't see anything down here. How am I supposed to know where to go?"

The little fairy puffed up proudly and placed her arms akimbo. "Well, aren't you lucky you have me, then."

Suddenly the ever-present red glow around her brightened considerably, bathing the area in crimson light. It didn't quite illuminate the whole room, but at least Jaune wouldn't have to stumble around in the dark.

"Great." Jaune said, relieved that the issue was resolved simply. Ruby took the lead and flew in a random direction, followed by a lightly limping Jaune.

As they walked, though, Jaune couldn't shake the feeling that there was something...wrong. He tried to write it off as paranoia, but it persisted. Some small part of him was whispering, telling him that there was something off about his surrounding. It caused the hair on his arms to stand up and his shoulders to tense up.

Soft, quick thumping made itself known behind him. In a fit of fear-induced reflex Jaune spun around, yanking his sword and shield off of his back in a quick motion. The sudden rattling of equipment startled Ruby, who spun around quickly to see what had spooked Jaune.

There was nothing. He was just pointing his trembling sword at the darkness.

"Uh, Jaune..." Ruby began, an amused smirk growing on her face, "I know the darkness is scary, but you can't actually attack it."

Jaune was silent for a moment, trying desperately to pick something out of the shroud of blackness in front of him. He could've sworn that there was something behind him. Slowly, he lowered his blade. Maybe he was just too paranoid.

Then a howl reverberated through the chamber. It was joined by another. Then another. Until it was a blaring, unified howl that forced Jaune and Ruby to desperately press their hands against their ears. Amidst the deafening noise, a large figure darted out from the darkness towards Jaune.

The impact threw the Kokiri back, prompting a cry of worry from Ruby. The hulking figure didn't let up, jumping forward and pinning Jaune under its body. He had only a split second to gather his thoughts before the wolf-like creature lunged at his face with slavering jaws. Sheer reflex saved him as he jerked his head to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. The beast's face slammed into the floor with a heavy thud. The impact dazed the creature and Jaune seized the opportunity to retaliate.

He angled his blade up and stabbed into the black mass pinning him down. The lack of leverage provided by his position did little to impede the progress of the blade, and caused the creature to howl in pain and leap back off of him. Jaune scrambled to get back on his feet, but only managed to get halfway up before another form from the darkness charged him from the right. A desperate, reflexive swing at the creature's armored head failed; only skidding off of the bone on its head and allowing him to once again get tackled.

Pinned for the second time in less than a minute, Jaune didn't wait for it to try to chew his face off and instead stabbed his sword into the monster's calf. The Grimm stumbled off of Jaune. Rather than letting it disappear like the last one Jaune lunged forward, spearing his blade through its neck. The Grimm gurgled and fell limp. He ripped his sword from the dissipating corpse and spun around with a frantic look in his eyes, waiting for the next monster to show its face.

He didn't have to wait long, as Ruby flew off away from him and lit up the nearest lurking Grimm with an unnecessary 'Hey!' thrown in. Being exposed seemed to trigger it, and it charged at the young man with a menacing growl. Its jaws opened wide as it leaped at him, and Jaune took the opportunity to jam his sword down its throat. The beast's forward momentum wasn't halted however. The force jarred Jaune's arm and ripped the sword from his grip.

Before he could retrieve it, Ruby lit up another Grimm. The creature snarled and leapt at Jaune. Weaponless and desperate, he swung his Deku shield, striking the beast across the head. It stunned it long enough for Jaune to make a grab for his sword. Thankfully the body it was stuck in had combusted already, leaving the weapon on the floor. He threw himself at his weapon, falling to the floor but successfully grabbing the hilt. Before he could get up, though, he felt his leg being gripped tightly and pulled back. His body followed, and he quickly found himself dangling upside down in the grip of the Grimm, his face level with its knees.

Jaune swiped at the knees and cleaved through them, forcing the Grimm to let go while crumpling to the floor. Jaune fell straight down and hit his head on the unforgiving floor. He crawled away from the crippled Grimm, trying to see past the tears of pain that welled up in his eyes.

"Ruby! We gotta go!" he shouted, lifting himself up and transitioning into a run. There was more than just the three or four he encountered and he wasn't confident in his ability to take on the whole group. Ruby was unknowingly of like mind, and flew far enough ahead to light his path. As he ran, he could hear the rest of the pack keeping up alongside him. They skirted the edge of his vision and kept close enough behind him that he could hear the thumping of their movement. They were likely waiting for him to tire out before striking again.

Then a wall came into view and Jaune realized he had ran out space. Before he hit the wall, though, Ruby shouted out at him.

"There's a door over here!"

The fairy zipped off to the left without waiting for a response, leaving Jaune no choice but to follow. The sudden change in direction brought him face-to-face with two more beasts of Grimm. Rather than attempting to fight them off Jaune chose to clumsily dive and roll past them, avoiding their swipes. Without a moment's hesitation, he stood back up and followed the little red light that was his companion.

The door in question was indented into the wall, and seemed to be made of wood like everything else. Eager to get out of the room and away from the pack of ravenous monsters, Jaune threw himself against the wood with the hope of breaking it down. He slammed hard into the door, ensuring his shoulder would be throbbing in a bit, but the wood didn't budge. The monsters began howling again, as though they knew their pray was now cornered.

Before he could panic, Ruby shouted at him "Lift it! Lift it from the bottom!"

Far past the point of questioning anything, Jaune dug his fingers under the wood and lifted it up. It was lighter than he expected, but heavier than he'd hoped. The adrenaline rushing through his body lent him enough strength to lift it up completely and dive into the hallway inside. The door behind him slammed shut in the face of a lunging Grimm.

There was a moment of silence as both Jaune and Ruby stared at the door, hoping that it wouldn't break open.

When no beasts borne from the Darkness itself appeared, they allowed themselves to relax. Jaune fell to his hands and knees, shaking from excess adrenaline. Ruby breathed a sigh of relief, and floated down to rest in Jaune's hair.

As the adrenaline faded away and his body began to hurt, Jaune asked Ruby in between pants, "Wa-...Were any of those...the monster with the curse...?"

Unseen by him, Ruby shook her head.

"Sorry, Jaune...those were only Beowolves. Still too weak to hold a curse."

Jaune had been afraid of that answer. The monster he had to slay was even stronger than those things. His chances of survival seemed to drop with every encounter.

Still, he had told the Great Deku Tree he could do it. He couldn't turn back now. With resignation weighing down his stomach, he stood up, placed his sword and shield onto his back, turned around, and kept walking down the hall. Ruby remained on his head, her glow providing enough light in the confined corridor.

* * *

The hallway wasn't too long, and soon they came across a small, circular room with a door across the way. In the middle of the room rested a large plant. Aside from its size, it seemed rather unassuming. Both Jaune and Ruby knew otherwise. There was only one plant like that in the Kokiri Forest.

As though reacting to their thoughts, the plant shuddered noisily before it raised itself from the floor. Underneath the arrangement of leaves was a round, wooden head; its face was decorated with angry, orange-red eyes and a tube-like structure that appeared to act as a mouth.

It was a young Deku Scrub. Mischievous beings that loved pelting passerby with Deku nuts. Something seemed off about this Scrub, but Jaune didn't think too hard on it, tired and sore as he was. He was more focused on negotiating with it so he wouldn't be hit with the incredibly hard fruit.

"Hey, uh, Deku Scrub, do you mind letting us- OOF!"

He crumpled to the floor, holding his stomach which was hit with a Deku nut, courtesy of the Scrub in front of him. That was a lot harder than usual. Deku Scrubs normally hold back so they don't seriously injure people. That felt like an actual attack.

"There's something wrong with that Scrub...," Ruby said, narrowing her eyes at it.

As Jaune lifted his head to look at the Deku Scrub again, another nut hit him squarely on the forehead. He shouted in pain and held a hand to the point of impact. Jaune's vision blacked out for a moment and the pain in his head throbbed fiercely. He felt a warm wetness under his palm and pulled his hand back to see blood smeared on the palm. The Deku Scrub had drawn blood.

The _Deku Scrub_ drew blood.

In a flash, he had his sword in shield equipped and he rushed towards the Deku Scrub. It shot another Deku nut at him in hopes of making him keep his distance. The half-second pause in which Jaune blocked the nut wasn't near long enough for the Scrub to prepare another shot. The blond Kokiri was towering over it in an instant, his sword raised and ready to cleave it in two.

"Wait, wait, wait!" the Scrub squeaked at him, "I give up! Please!"

The sound of the tiny voice begging for its life was enough to stay Jaune's hand. He didn't lower his weapon, though. He didn't want to give the Scrub the idea that he wouldn't kill it if it kept attacking. It seemed the little plant was genuinely giving up, though, as it started pleading with him.

"Look, I'm sorry! I didn't want to attack you but the Sorceress placed a spell on me! I had no choice!" it spoke rapidly, clearly afraid of being stabbed by irate Kokiri. When that didn't make Jaune lower his weapon, the Scrub decided to try bargaining.

"Hey, look, if you don't kill me, I'll tell you a secret!"

That seemed to pique Jaune's interest, as his body relaxed some. His kept his sword raised, though. Ruby stepped in at this point.

"Tell us the secret and he won't hurt you," she told the quivering Scrub.

The little plant creature spoke quickly, "The room after this one is where the Cursed One rests! But you can't get through unless I open the door!"

Ruby quirked an eyebrow. "Unless _you_ open it? But you're just a Deku Scrub."

The Scrub shook its body in what seemed to be the equivalent of nodding, "Yes, yes, it's true! The Sorceress made me the gatekeeper! If someone tried to break the curse, then they would likely kill me when I attacked them because I'm so weak and that would prevent them from entering!"

That was horrible, Jaune thought. A little voice in the back of his head couldn't help but remark that it was also smart.

"So, can you let us in?" Ruby asked, still focused on their goal.

The Scrub nodded furiously, "I can, I can! Just don't kill me!"

That was good enough for Jaune, and he lowered his sword to silently finalize the agreement.

With the threat of death no longer hanging over its head, the Deku Scrub immediately fulfilled its end of the bargain. It hopped over to the door and squeaked several times. As though by magic (and it likely was), the door lifted itself to reveal another darkened room.

"Through here! The Cursed One resides through here!"

Jaune didn't acknowledge the Scrub. He was looking intently through the doorway, trying to see something in the darkness beyond. It was fruitless. He had no choice but to walk straight into sheer darkness again.

He took a deep breath and carefully walked through the doorway, Ruby trailing behind him.

The room they entered was another chamber. It seemed to be smaller than the first one, as Jaune could vaguely pick out the perimeter with Ruby's glow. Four thick pillars space evenly in a circle and made up of gnarled wood acted as support for the ceiling.

Jaune took several steps further in before the door behind them slammed shut with a disturbing finality. Both him and Ruby jumped and spun around, seeing that door was indeed shut. Their only known method of escape was now gone.

In retrospect, it probably wasn't a smart idea to trust the Deku Scrub that had admitted it was under a spell by an evil Sorceress. A sudden deep growl caught their attention, prompting the two to face forward again.

From behind one of the furthest pillars, a large, black figure trudged into view. It was another Beowolf.

A really, really big Beowolf.

"Ruby...," Jaune whispered, his eyes locked onto the massive monster that was staring him down, "...Is that...you know?"

Ruby was similarly stunned. She nodded and said, "Uh-huh..."

Jaune swallowed thickly and said, "I thought you said Beowolves were too weak to be a medium for curses..."

"Beowolves are too weak...but Alpha Beowolves can handle it just fine..."

The relative silence between them and the Alpha Beowolf was broken by the sound of Jaune adjusting his feet into a makeshift battle stance. This seemed to be the trigger, as the massive Grimm snarled deeply before charging straight for the blond. Doubtful of his ability to take such a charge head on, Jaune threw himself off to the side, narrowly escaping being rammed.

This Grimm was apparently more intelligent than it brethren, as instead of outright halting its charge it slammed a claw into the floor and swung around that point. It reset itself immediately in Jaune's direction and continued its charge. Again, he dived off to the side, ensuring another few seconds of life.

"You have to fight it, Jaune! Not just dodge!" Ruby shouted at him.

"That's easy for you to say!" Jaune shouted back before dodging another attempt to ram him. "You're not the one who actually has to fight it!" he continued.

The Grimm seemed to realize that simply charging was doing nothing and changed its method. It roared fiercely and leapt high into the air, positioning itself right over Jaune's position as it fell back to earth. Jaune turned and ran in the opposite direction, but didn't make it far enough to escape the shockwave. His body was thrown several meters. His body came to a stop just a few feet from the wall

The Alpha Beowolf slowly made its way towards his downed form, its steps creating loud thumps as it did so. A groan left the boy's lips as he struggled to pick his battered body back up.

"Watch out!" he heard Ruby cry.

Jaune lifted his head in time to catch the Alpha rearing its clawed hand for the finishing strike. Floating above its head was Ruby, who was pulling on the Grimm's ear in a futile attempt to distract it.

"_FIGHT_, JAUNE!" Ruby screamed at him, "YOU'LL DIE IF YOU DON'T!"

Something clicked in Jaune's psyche just as the Beowolf swung its arm down to finish the fight.

"GRAAAH!"

The ringing of a blade cutting through the air sung out, and silence fell over the chamber.

Then the Alpha's hand hit the floor with a thump.

The Grimm howled in pain, unused to taking such damage. Jaune didn't let up, lunging forward and slicing horizontally across its chest. The damage it was taking from the seemingly weak prey set the monster's aggression into overdrive. It leapt back far enough that it could snap at Jaune with its jaws. The boy jerked back, avoiding the razor sharp teeth, and stabbed into its left eye.

The Grimm jerked its head back, snarling in pain, and knocked Jaune away with a swing of its good arm before he could react. A loud snap and the searing pain that followed told Jaune that it broke a few of his ribs. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, willing the pain to dull down enough for him to keep fighting.

As Jaune shakily stood back up, the Alpha Beowolf charged at him with wild abandon. The moment it was close enough it snapped at him again. Jaune sidestepped it and ducked underneath its head. Now presented with a golden opportunity, he swung his sword at its neck with all of his might. The blade cut through the quasi-flesh with only little resistance, but failing to decapitate the beast.

It was all he needed, though. The Grimm jerked away from Jaune with a gurgled yelp, its head swinging on the remaining strip of flesh that kept it attached, and fell over onto its side. The massive cadaver laid still for but a moment before it burned away like its kin before it.

Silence reigned as Jaune's glare slowly morphed into disbelief.

Was that it?

It was over?

He had...won?

"Jaune!"

Suddenly Ruby was in his vision, only a foot away from his face.

"You did it, Jaune!" she exclaimed, her grin threatening to split her face.

"I...did it?" Jaune asked, unsure of whether he was asking her or himself.

His lips quirked, "I did it...I did- HGH!"

He dropped his sword and clasped the side of his chest. His shattered ribs made themselves known with his attempted exclamation.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked, her tone painted with concern.

"Ribs...," was all he could manage to squeeze out. He fell to his knees, exacerbating the pain as a result.

"Don't worry, Jaune! I'll get you out of here!" the fairy promised. She looked around frantically and immediately realized she had no idea how she would get him out.

** "Worry not, my Children...all will be well..."**

The calm voice of the Great Deku Tree echoed throughout the chamber. A neon blue Glyph suddenly appeared below the two of them. The glow of the Glyph grew brighter and brighter until Jaune and Ruby had to close their eyes to avoid being blinded.

Then the chamber was empty.

* * *

**A/N:**** I was planning to wait until I had finished Chapter 4 to post this, but I figured last chapter wasn't enough action for you guys.**

**Obviously I trimmed a lot from the actual Deku Tree dungeon. My reasoning is simple:**

**1. OoT dungeons have quite a bit of backtracking, and that would be boring to read for every dungeon.**

**2. I don't want to just rehash everything exactly as it happened in the game, especially since anyone who's played OoT has likely done so several times over and already knows the layouts like the back of their hand. Therefore I'll be changing up the dungeons so there's a degree of freshness.**

**3. Seeing as this is the first dungeon that Jaune has ever been in, I didn't want to throw in too much. This is the beginner dungeon. Something to ease him into the whole shebang. Puzzles will come into play later.**

**And that's that.**

**Also, this is only my second time writing fight scenes. Critique on those in particular would be much appreciated.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	3. Third Heart: Field of Nightmares

x

The Legend of Jaune

Third Heart

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda or RWBY. They are the intellectual properties of Nintendo and RoosterTeeth, respectively.

* * *

Jaune wasn't completely sure what had happened.

One moment he was on the floor of a dark chamber almost writhing in agony; the next, he was standing in front of the Great Deku Tree feeling completely fine. The boy blinked in confusion and looked himself over.

His clothes were still dirty and scuffed with a light tear on the side. His body felt fine. He felt great tentatively touched his forehead, expecting to feel the sting of the cut that the Deku Scrub gave him.

Nothing.

A deep chuckle from the Great Deku Tree broke Jaune from his self-examination.

**"Thou hast destroyed the curse laid upon me...,"** it said, pride apparent in its voice, **"Thine Nobility is apparent...thine Courage, unquestionable..."**

The Kokiri's cheeks burned at such praise being laid upon him.

"It was my honor, Great Deku Tree," Jaune said, lowering his eyes in humility. The Great Deku Tree would have none of it, however.

**"Raise thine head, Jaune of the Kokiri...thou hast much to take Pride in..."**

Jaune lifted his head to look at the Father of the Forest. He offered a thankful smile to the Great Tree, one that it would've returned were it able to. However, there were pressing matters to discuss.

**"Jaune of the Kokiri...I have much to tell thee...sit...and listen...,"** it intoned.

The grim tone of the Great Deku Tree wiped the smile off of Jaune's face. He obediently sat down on the grass and waited for the Great Deku Tree to speak.

It seemed to mull on its words for a moment before speaking.

**"The curse that had been placed on me...was conjured by a wicked woman of the desert...,"** it began, **"This evil woman ceaselessly uses her vile powers in search of the Door to the Sacred Realm...for it is in the Sacred Realm that one will find the Sacred Triforce...that which carries essence of the goddesses...thou knowest of the Legend of the Three Goddesses, dost thou not...?"**

Of course he knew it. There wasn't a person in the Kokiri Forest who hadn't heard the story of the creation of the world. Din, the Goddess of Power, cultivated the earth. Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, gave the spirit of law unto that earth. Farore, the Goddess of Courage, created the life that would uphold those laws. When they completed their tasks, the three goddesses left.

It seemed the Great Deku Tree was aware he already knew it, as it continued without waiting for an answer.

**"When the goddesses departed, they left their essence in the form of the Sacred Triforce...a power which resides safely in the Sacred Realm..."**

The Great Tree then addressed Jaune directly, **"Thou must never suffer that woman to enter the Sacred Realm...for if she acquires the Triforce...the world will be lost to Darkness..."**

It was at that point the Jaune realized what he was being told.

"Great Deku Tree, are you telling me-?"

**"Yes...,"** it interrupted. **"Thou must stop this woman before she can enter the Sacred Realm...it is your Destiny..."**

Jaune shot up to his feet, "W-Wait a minute! What do you mean it's my 'destiny'?"

**"I mean exactly what I have said...now listen, Jaune, for there is little time...the curse that the sorceress laid me upon has doomed me...,"** it responded.

Ruby stiffened at the Great Tree's admission.

"What are you talking about, Deku Tree?" she asked, "We broke the curse! You even said so!"

The Deku Tree hummed in agreement, **"Indeed, I did...my end is still nigh, however..."**

"Then what I did was for nothing?!" Jaune asked, frustration and desperation mingled in his tone.

**"Nay, Jaune...,"** the Great Deku Tree assured, **"What seems like a pointless task to thee was a test...one that thou hast passed marvelously..."**

As it spoke, the rich brown of its bark at the base slowly turned into a pallid grey. Its leaves, once a deep green and now becoming a sickly black, started to fall from its branches. Ruby felt a lump well up in her throat as she watched her Father slowly die in front of her.

**"The sorceress sought something...something important...,"** it continued as though it weren't slowly dying, **"She sought the Kokiri Emerald...I can no longer protect it from her foul hands...it is now thine to safeguard, Jaune..."**

Before Jaune could ask what the Deku Tree was talking about a flash caused him to squeeze his eyes shut. He cracked his eyes open and immediately they widened at the sight before him.

Floating within reach was a beautiful green gem encircled by gold. Small enough to hold in his hands but large enough to inspire awe at the sight of it. Jaune reached out carefully and took hold of it. It was weighty but not burdensome.

**"Take it, Jaune...you must take it out of Kokiri Forest and to the Princess in the Castle...," **the Great Deku Tree said, its tone bearing an undercurrent of strain as the gray discoloration spread up the its body. **"Take Ruby with thee...she will aid thee on thine quest..."**

"Deku Tree...," the red fairy whispered, struggling to hold back her tears.

As the grayness encroached on its face and the last of its leaves fell, the Great Deku Tree spoke its last words, **"Make haste, Young Hero...the fate of the world...rests on thine shoulders..."**

Then it fell silent.

Both the Kokiri and the fairy stayed in place. For a long moment they simply stared at the petrified corpse of the Forest Guardian in silence.

It was Ruby, wiping away the tears that had welled up in her eyes, that broke it.

"C'mon, Jaune...we've gotta go...," she said. The Great Deku Tree trusted her to help the Hero of Prophecy. She wouldn't disappoint it, even in death.

Jaune stayed in place, feeling guilt and fear run through his chest. He had failed to save the Great Deku Tree. Now he was expected to save the world? What kid of cruel joke was that? But it was him that was handed this quest. He couldn't just take the coward's way and push it onto someone else, could he?

"Ruby," he said, "When you said that there's no one else...you really meant it, didn't you?"

"...Yeah, I did," Ruby responded.

The blond boy turned his gaze onto the Kokiri Emerald resting in his hands. Then he took in a deep breath, as if to draw in courage. Finally, he carefully tucked the precious jewel into a pouch on his waist and turned to face the path back to his village. His eyes were filled with resolve.

He had a purpose now. It was heavy, but he had one.

So it was with purpose that he strode back towards his village, Ruby in tow.

* * *

Jaune could immediately tell something was wrong as Kokiri Village came into sight. A crowd seemed to be gathered at the entrance of the path. It looked like only thing preventing them from entering was Cardin. He was yelling something out to the gathered villagers. As Jaune drew closer he could make out what was being said.

"-veryone calm down! I'll go check it out once all of you are back in your homes! That's an order from your lead-!"

"What's going on?" Jaune asked out loud. Cardin's face twisted into a vicious snarl as he turned to look at him.

"_You!_"

Before Jaune could begin to comprehend the amount of venom in that one word a pair of fists grabbed him by his tunic and jerked him forward.

"What did you do?!" Cardin hissed at him

Jaune stammered, trying to understand the question and answer at the same time. The larger boy quickly grew sick of it and violently threw Jaune towards the crowd, which quickly parted to let the flying form through.

Ruby cried out in distress before fixing Cardin with a glare.

"What'd you do that for, you jerk?!" she yelled at him. She was summarily ignored as Cardin unhooked his mace and stormed towards Jaune. This served to rile her up further and she flew directly in front of him.

"I'm talking to you, Meathead!" she snapped. When he continued to ignore her and walk forward she threw a straight kick at his face. It didn't slow him down but he finally acknowledged her existence long enough to swat her aside.

No one said a thing as Cardin walked up and kicked the blond back down as he attempted to stand back up. Now towering over Jaune, Cardin shouted, "Don't play dumb! We all felt it! What happened to the Great Deku Tree?!"

A lead weight dropped in Jaune's stomach.

The assembled Kokiri fell completely silent. All of them were looking intently at Jaune with anxiety painted clearly on their faces. They were all concerned with the fate of their guardian.

Jaune lowered his eyes shamefully. Meanwhile, Ruby had recovered from being smacked to the side and hovered over Jaune in an attempt to protect him from possible violence.

"Spit it out!" the standing boy shouted, gripping his mace even tighter.

"It's not his fault so leave him alone!" Ruby shouted back.

"Shut up, you stupid fairy! I wasn't asking you!" Cardin snarled.

Jaune couldn't take much more. It was with a lump of guilt in his throat and an unsteady voice that he finally confessed.

"The Great Deku Tree is dead..."

Cardin jerked back in shock as gasps of horror rippled through the crowd. Some began to cry while others murmured to each other, wondering what they would do without their guardian's protection.

The mace-wielding boy paid none of it any mind. The Great Deku Tree was dead, and there was only one person who could be responsible for it.

"I knew it," he said lowly, "I _always_ knew you were a failure. But even I didn't think you would betray us like this."

Jaune's head snapped up to look at Cardin and he started to defend himself, "But I didn't-!"

"LIAR!"

The plea was cut off by the shout. The crowd of Kokiri once again fell silent.

"You've been nothing but a problem for everyone!" Cardin continued loudly. "You're not one of us! You'd never be one of us! And so you decided to get revenge for your worthlessness by killing the Great Deku Tree!"

The accusation made everyone's eyes widen. Jaune may have been an outcast but murdering the Great Deku Tree? It didn't seem like the scrawny boy could be capable of such an atrocity.

"That's not true!" Ruby shouted in his defense. "He tried to _save_ the Deku Tr-"

"I said shut up, fairy!" Cardin yelled, sick of being yelled at by the miniscule girl.

Before Ruby or Jaune could continue to dispute Cardin's claim, he raised his mace high into the air.

"I'm gonna do what I should've done a long time ago, you rat," he said to Jaune, ignoring the calls for him to calm down and put his weapon away.

"So am I."

A wooden staff suddenly jabbed Cardin's kidney and then whacked him behind his knees in short order. The bulky Kokiri fell to his knees clutching his kidney in pain. Before Jaune could react, Cardin's assailant swooped over and picked him up by his arm. It was his best friend, Sun.

Sun didn't stop there, however. He kept moving until Jaune had gotten to his feet before breaking into a run, practically dragging the smaller blond. Ruby blew a raspberry at Cardin's downed form before flying after the pair.

"Wait, Sun, where are we going?!" Jaune shouted as he tried to keep up with the fast pace.

"We're going back to my place!" Sun responded. "You can stay with me until everyone's calmed down, and then you can explain what happened!"

Jaune would've liked nothing more than to clear up the confusion, but the weight on his waist reminded him that he had more important things to attend to.

"Sun, stop!" he called out the boy dragging him.

"Not yet, Jaune! My place is just up ahead!" Sun called back.

Jaune stopped running and dug his heels into the ground, pulling back as he did so. He nearly lost balance and fell forward because of the stronger Kokiri's grip. Sun immediately registered the resistance and stopped running to look at Jaune in confusion.

"What're you doing, buddy? We gotta get you to safety," he told Jaune.

His confusion only grew when Jaune pulled his hand from his grip.

"I can't stay here, Sun," Jaune said as he took a step back. "The Great Deku Tree gave me a task...and I have to see it through."

Sun turned around completely to face Jaune and grinned at him, "Well, I guess I have to help you if that's-"

"No."

The grin left Sun's face.

"No?"

"No," Jaune repeated. "I can't ask you to help me, Sun."

Sun quirked a brow, "And why not?"

Jaune squared his shoulders before responding, "It's something the Great Deku Tree placed on my shoulders. I can't expect anyone else to bear this. I'm sorry."

There was a long, quiet moment that followed. Then Sun chuckled.

"Well, when you say it like that I guess I have to let you go your own way," he said mirthfully.

Jaune blinked in surprise. He didn't expect Sun to let it go that easily.

"You're different from us, Jaune," Sun said, "You're short, and scrawny, and you're always making mista-"

"Alright, I get it, I get it," Jaune groused.

Sun's suddenly hand clapped down onto his shoulder and continued speaking.

"What I'm saying is that despite all that, I always knew that you were meant for something more."

Jaune looked up at him in disbelief. Sun reached into a pouch at his waist and pulled out an ovular object.

"Take this," he said, shoving the object into Jaune's hands, "Hopefully it'll cure any homesickness you get."

Eyes widened in shock as Jaune beheld the object he was holding. It was Sun's ocarina. The instrument he had carved himself and always took out to play when he was in the forest.

"Sun...are you sure?" Jaune asked.

His response was a light shove that sent him back a few steps.

"Get going, buddy," Sun said with a grin. "I'll keep things in order here."

There was a moment where they just looked at each other before the smaller of the two smiled back.

"Thanks, Sun," he said.

Sun waved it off, "'Thanks' nothing. Just get back here in one piece, yeah?"

Jaune rolled his eyes and waved goodbye before running off towards the path that lead out of the Kokiri Forest. Ruby waved a cheerful goodbye to the taller Kokiri before following her charge. The Kokiri that usually guarded was gone, likely a member of the crowd that the path to the Great Deku Tree.

Just before he entered the thicket of trees, Jaune turned around. Sun was still standing where he left him. He waved one last time to his pseudo-brother, which was returned in earnest. Jaune turned back around and ran onto the path with the ocarina still clutched tightly in has hand.

As he ran, he felt his resolve strengthen with each step. He would complete his journey and return to his village triumphantly.

* * *

Before Jaune knew it the forest of trees he had known for his entire life was behind him, and a vast field composed of flat land and rolling hills lay before him. A soothing breeze blew over his bare arms, causing him to shiver involuntarily. The coolness was a stark contrast from the humidity of the forest.

"Amazing...," both Jaune and Ruby whispered. A hooting laughter behind them startled the two of them.

"Hoohoohoohoo, this new to you, isn't it?" came a brash voice

The Kokiri and the fairy turned around to see who was talking but were met with thin air.

"Up here, little ones!"

They obliged the voice and inclined their heads. Perched on a branch was a massive owl, who took amusement from their stunned faces.

"Hoohoohoo, relax, little ones! I mean you no harm," the owl said, "I am the Wise Owl, Peter Port."

Jaune felt strangely underwhelmed by that name and it must have shown on his face.

"Oh, now that's a familiar look! You were probably expecting a much grander name, no?" the owl asked.

Before Jaune could apologize Peter continued speaking.

"Don't worry about, m'boy! I understand completely. Many people who meet the Great Wise Owl expect a great name to accompany him. Alas, my name is my name, and I would not trade it for all the Rupees in the world! That's a fine lesson there, lad. Always be proud of your name, for it is your actions, not your name, that people will remember you by! Speaking of which, you are the Prophesied One, are you not?"

Jaune opened his mouth to answer before he was cut off again.

"Oh, what am I talking about? Of course you are! You have a sword and shield on your back, after all. No one but an adventurer would carry such equipment! Well, them and knights, but knights are distinctly different from adventurers, wouldn't you say?"

This time it was Ruby who tried to speak up in a bid to cut off Peter before he could keep talking. She wasn't fast enough, however.

"Nothing against knights, I assure you. It's just that knights are chained to their responsibilities while adventurers are free to come and go as they please. That is what makes them much more suited to quests of great importance. You wouldn't want a hero to have to choose between the success of the quest and his duty to the king. It complicates matters severely, I assure you. But I digress. What was I speaking about before? Ah, yes!"

The great owl was oblivious to the growing desperation on the pair's faces as he kept blabbering.

"You are the Prophesied One, so you must be carrying something very important with you. Something that must be taken to the Princess immediately. Well you're in luck, for I know of how to get to the Princess! You must cross Mistral Fields - that's where we are right now - and you will see a great stone wall. Behind this wall is Vytal Town and beyond Vytal Town is Mistral Castle. You will most assuredly find the Princess in Mistral Castle. Now I must be off, m'boy! Farewell, and good luck!"

Peter Port flapped his massive wings and took off into the sky, leaving a thoroughly frightened boy and his fairy.

"...We should get going before he comes back," Ruby suggested quietly after a minute. Jaune agreed eagerly and the two of them took off across the fields.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set by the time they could see the wall. Their relief turned into frustration, though, as they saw even from this distance that the drawbridge was being lifted. They wouldn't make it in time. Access into Vytal Town would be impossible until morning. That left them with the duty of finding shelter for the night.

The two of them would have been fine settling down in the middle of the field for the night if it weren't for the temperature, which had been steadily dropping as they walked.

"So, what now?" Jaune asked his companion.

Ruby shrugged, "Don't look at me, guy."

Jaune rolled his eyes and followed it with, "Gee, thanks for the help."

The fairy huffed and set her arms akimbo.

"_You're_ the adventurer here, so _you_ need to start making decisions," she said, frowning down at him.

Jaune didn't have a retort. She had a point. He refused Sun's help because he wanted to accomplish this on his own, after all. He pointedly ignored Ruby's victorious grin as he scoped his surroundings.

"Hey," Jaune said, pointing into the distance, "What about over there?"

It seemed like luck was on their side that night, as there was what looked like a small, walled-off settlement off to their left. It would take some more walking but it was much closer than Vytal Town, and there was no moat surrounding it. More importantly, though, Ruby could see a vague glow emanating from inside the walls. Glowing meant fire, and fire meant warmth.

"Looks good to me," she said approvingly before taking off ahead.

"Wait up, Ruby!" Jaune shouted, running after the speedy fairy.

As they ran, the sun sank lower and lower. When it finally disappeared below the horizon, everything went to hell.

It started with a wolf's howl in the distance. It changed the air, making it tense and ominous. It was enough to bring the pair's running to a stop. They threw each other a look to acknowledge that they had felt the shift.

Then came a coarse shuffling sound from the ground around Jaune. As the shuffling grew louder he grew more wary, reaching behind to grasp the hilt of his sword.

"Uh, Ruby...?" Jaune asked.

Ruby understood the vague question and responded, "I don't know, but it can't be anything too bad. There are Mistralians living just fine out here, after all."

_'Just fine behind their stone walls,'_ Jaune thought to himself.

As the shuffling reached a climax, he unsheathed his sword and strapped on his shield. Just in time as the dirt in front of him burst, revealing the horror that plagued the empty fields of Mistral.

Jaune was trying to decide whether to attack it or laugh at it.

Its bone-like plating, sheer black flesh, and soulless red eyes clearly identified it as a Grimm. Its head was disturbingly humanoid in appearance as well. The fact that its head was the only thing sticking out of the soil and that said head was the size of a child's threw him through a loop.

"So...is this like a Deku Scrub Grimm or something?" Jaune asked jokingly. It did humorously resemble a miniature Deku Scrub in the way that it glared at him from its position in the ground.

Ruby didn't share his amusement.

"Jaune, we've gotta get moving. Now," she said. Her eyes were darting back and forth across the field.

Her tone wiped away Jaune's smile, "Why?"

More shuffling came from the creature in front of him as it dug the rest of its body out. The rest of the body was child-sized just as the head was, and dangling from its hands were three menacingly large claws each.

"Oh," Jaune said simply. So it was more dangerous than he thought, but it was still just a kid-sized Grimm. Nothing like the Beowolfs he fought in the Great Deku Tree.

As though fate were waiting for Jaune to jinx himself, further shuffling came from the dirt. Another child Grimm popped up from the dirt. Followed by another. Then another.

"Ohhh..." he said with more understanding.

The first Grimm launched itself at him with its claws outstretched. A shield came up to block them which was promptly followed by a sword that cleanly lopped off the Grimm's head.

Jaune didn't bother staying to fight on account of his poor record with pack enemies. He sliced off another arm that was reaching for him before he began sprinting towards the settlement. The disproportionally large claws on the enemies' hands seemed to offset their balance, as they were left hobbling after him.

It was anything but a clean escape however, as more and more Grimm were bursting from the ground in front of Jaune. He had to pause multiple times to dodge their swipes and cut them down. As the pair drew closer to the settlement the veritable army behind them grew.

The swordsman practically threw himself against the wooden doors blocking the way and pounded on them desperately.

"HEY! SOMEONE OPEN THE DOORS! LET US IN!"

While he was shouting to get the attention of the inhabitants the Grimm crept ever closer. Ruby joined the pounding but her tiny fists provided no extra noise. Jaune heard more shuffling beneath the ground and decided on another approach.

"Ruby!" he shouted at her, "Go over the wall and get someone's attention! I'll hold out here!"

There was a split-second of indecision in the fairy's eyes before she nodded and flew over the wall.

Jaune spun around to fend off the horde of Grimm. More dug themselves up in front of him. Two were dispatched by him before they could fully arise and another was bisected as it reared back to strike. More hobbled up to him and more fell to his blade. There wasn't a moment's respite.

Slash, block, stab, slash, dodge, stab, block, slash. It was a discordant rhythm that quickly wore out the boy's stamina. Just as his sword arm started to seize and the horde bore down on his weakening form the door behind him opened wide enough for a beefy arm to seize Jaune's tunic and jerk him back.

His savior threw him roughly onto his rear end and quickly shut the door again. There was a cacophony of thumps as the Grimm on the other side clawed vainly at the thick wood.

"By the goddesses, boy, what were ya thinkin' bein' out in the fields so late?!" came a deep voice that was thick with fatherly concern, "The Grimmchildren woulda minced ya if I hadn't came when I did!"

A hand gripped Jaune's arm and lifted him to his feet in one motion. As Jaune looked up at his savior it was easy to see why the man was able to lift Jaune with such ease. He was a stocky, heavyset man with thick arms. His expressive face was decorated with a thick mustache that grew all the way out to his sideburns. His bulging gut and balding head indicated that he was already past his prime but the man had clearly done heavy labor for a period of his life.

Before Jaune could respond to his savior, Ruby shot into his line of sight.

"Jaune! Are you alright? I flew as quick as I could and I got this guy out here fast but I was worried that we were too late because there were so many Grimmchil-!"

The fairy was cut off by Jaune catching her in his hands. He waited a moment before parting them. Ruby peeked her head out of the opening and glared at him.

"Not cool, Jaune."

A grin was his response, followed by, "Maybe not, but it got you to calm down, didn't it?"

Ruby stuck her tongue out at the blond, but she was still grateful.

The mustachioed man chose this moment to speak up again, "So, mind answerin' my question about what ya were doin' out in the fields?"

Jaune hesitated for a moment before answering.

"We were trying to get to Mistral Castle."

The man scratched his head, "Mistral Castle? Now what would ya need to go there fer?"

"It's important business," Ruby cut in, "We're couriers."

It was a weak excuse if the man's face was any indication but he accepted it all the same.

"Well, I never heard of a courier with a sword and a fairy but there're all types of people out in the world, I s'pose."

He then clapped a hand on Jaune's shoulder and lead him towards a building.

"It's too dangerous to be walkin' around outside fer now. Ya can stay the night here and be off tomorrow."

"Thank you," Jaune said sincerely. Ruby repeated the sentiment.

The man waved off the gratitude, saying, "Think nothin' of it."

He lead the pair into one of the large wooden buildings where their noses were immediately assaulted with a horrible smell. The man laughed as Jaune and Ruby clapped their hands over their noses.

"I apologize, son. Ya seem like a nice kid but I can't trust a stranger with a sword ta be sleeping in mah house. You'll be staying here in the stable."

He then pointed towards a stack of hay that rested in the middle of the room, away from the cows and horses that lined the perimeter.

"Ya can sleep on that fer comfort. The animals won't mind," he told Jaune. He clapped him once more on the shoulder and left with a friendly farewell.

Smell aside, the stable was warm and the hay was decently comfortable

As the two of them lied on their backs staring at the ceiling, Jaune spoke.

"Ruby?"

"Yeah, Jaune?"

"...Do you think I can actually save the world?"

"Not without me," came the cheeky reply.

Jaune couldn't help but laugh lightly. There was length of silence before Ruby spoke up this time.

"Jaune?"

"Yeah, Ruby?"

"...Do you think I can actually help you save the world?"

There was no hesitation before Jaune answered.

"If you keep saving my butt like you've been doing then yeah, you can definitely help me."

Unseen by Jaune, Ruby smiled gratefully.

"Thanks," she said.

They fell into a comfortable silence from there. After an hour of trying to ignore the smell, the two finally managed to find sleep.

* * *

**A/N:**** This one was a little shorter than the last two. Quite a bit happened in such a short period of time and I didn't want to keep throwing stuff in your faces.**

**I also made up a Grimm type called Grimmchildren. Human Grimm don't seem to exist in RWBY but I needed something small and numerous to replace the Stalchildren. My friend was gracious enough to agree to sketch out the design for me, so I'll have that for you eventually.**

**So, now you're starting to get more of the bigger picture. It's Mistral Kingdom rather than Hyrule Kingdom. I'm sure you can guess who will be playing Zelda's part so no credit to whoever guesses that.**

**But I will give a shout-out to whoever correctly guesses who will play as Malon.**

**As always, critique is most appreciated and will be implemented where appropriate. Hope you enjoyed!**


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